Cowboys Complete 2nd Scrimmage In Laramie

Wyoming’s second scrimmage of the fall took place on Saturday in Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium, and it was a much more balanced scrimmage between the offense and defense.  The defense forced two interceptions by junior strong safety Darrenn White and sophomore linebacker Deven McKenna, and sacked Cowboy quarterbacks six times.  Junior linebacker Mark Nzeocha and senior defensive tackle and co-captain Patrick Mertens led UW with two sacks each and were credited with six and five tackles, respectively.

Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen was pleased to see the defense step up with some big plays on Saturday and balance out the second scrimmage after the offense dominated in the initial scrimmage of fall camp last Sunday.

“I was thinking about this walking over here -- I don’t know how it could ever be the ideal scenario (in a scrimmage) because if the offense plays well, you want to know why the offense played so well and why the defense didn’t,” said Christensen.  “If the defense plays well, you want to know why the defense is so good and the offense didn’t play as well.  There were plays made on both sides today.  I was pleased for the most part with our execution by our No. 1s.”

Junior quarterback and team co-captain Brett Smith was also asked by media members after the scrimmage if it was good to see the defense’s improved play on Saturday, knowing that it will take a total team effort for the Pokes to have a successful season once the regular season starts.

“They (the defense) definitely came to play, and you have to give them credit,” said Smith.  “It’s kind of two-sided for me.  I don’t like when the defense beats us, but I also like it because once the season comes I know they are going to be as important to our success as our offense and special teams will be.  I was happy that they did a good job, and I can’t wait to watch them this year.

“I thought they did an outstanding job of covering our receivers.  They’ve been doing a fantastic job the past couple of days in practice in terms of being able to sniff things out and recognize what plays we’re running.

“In that last two-minute drill, I particularly thought they did a great job of getting pressure on me,” said Smith.  “They did a nice job of covering the receivers and staying disciplined back in the secondary.  Obviously, it is frustrating for us as an offense when they stop us, but it is great to see at the same time.”

McKenna’s interception of sophomore quarterback Jason Thompson came on the first play of the two-minute drill period as the No. 2 defense was facing the No. 2 offense.  On the very next offensive series, White intercepted Smith as the No. 1 offensive and defensive units faced off.  In addition to those two interceptions, the Pokes also had six pass breakups.  Senior free safety and co-captain Marqueston Huff, junior cornerback Tyran Finley, freshman cornerback Tim Hayes, redshirt sophomore defensive back Thatcher Vap, freshman cornerback Cooper Wise and sophomore defensive end Eddie Yarbrough each broke up one pass.  Finley’s and Wise’s PBUs both came on plays in the end zone.

While the defense played much better on Saturday, they didn’t completely shut down the offense.  The Cowboys’ offense generated 430 passing yards and 247 rushing with a very balanced attack that saw the Pokes throw 54 passes and rush the ball 52 times.  The offense scored three rushing touchdowns and three through the air.